After four games against teams with varying offenses and abilities, Marshfield’s preseason wraps up Friday night in Ashland, where the Pirates face the unbeaten Grizzlies.

The game will be the final tune-up before Midwestern League play begins next week at home against defending league champion Churchill, and Marshfield coach Kent Wigle said the game is important because of the impending league schedule.

“I think it’s a pretty big week for us to get momentum,” Wigle said.

The Pirates are coming off their worst loss in recent memory, a 34-2 setback to Grants Pass. In Marshfield’s defense, the Cavemen are one of the top Class 6A teams in the state, in a school with roughly 700 more students.

Prior to the loss last week, Marshfield had an up-and-down start to the season, including a strong second-half to beat North Bend, an agonizing final-play loss to Marist and a solid road win against Klamath Union which, like Ashland, plays in the Southern Sky League.

Ashland’s wins this season have come against Henley, Phoenix, Corvallis and Roosevelt. The most impressive probably is the victory over defending Class 5A state champion Corvallis on the road. Also of note, the team has given up just 29 points in four games.

“They’re a good football team,” Wigle said. “They’re a typical Ashland team. They have an ability to throw the ball and they’re quick.”

The Grizzlies also feature one of the top line prospects in the state, Matt Lipski, who measures 6-feet-9-inches tall and tips the scales at 340 pounds.

Ashland also has a distinct home-field advantage. Marshfield’s last trip to the home of the Grizzlies resulted in a loss that ended the Pirates’ then-Class 4A record of 55 straight regular-season wins.

“This is another trip into a pretty hostile environment,” Wigle said.

The Pirates fared well in their first road trip, to Klamath Union and Wigle hopes the team has another quality trip this week.

The squad has been hampered this week by the cold bug that has been circulating on the South Coast.

“We’ve had quite a few kids miss practice,” he said. “It’s hard to prepare when you have kids missing.”

That’s especially true when the Pirates are trying to learn from their experiences against Grants Pass last Friday.

“We’re just trying to get better in practice,” Wigle said.

On the plus side, Marshfield gets two key players back this week — seniors John Parrish and Shawn Huntley.

Parrish has been recovering from a knee injury in basketball season and saw limited action last week. Huntley, a transfer, is eligible for the first time this season.

The return of Parrish has been highly anticipated.

“We will play him quite a bit,” Wigle said of the tight end/defensive lineman. “He’s a huge part, especially as a three-year starter.”

Huntley, meanwhile, is a good defensive lineman, Wigle said.

“He’s going to make us better.”

Both also add depth on the line, which helps free up fullback Jesse Fox and guard Levi Groff to spend more time on offense with fresher legs.

“We can rotate those guys,” Wigle said.

One thing the Pirates could have done better against Grants Pass was making adjustments during the game.

“You have to do some problem solving,” Wigle said. “We needed to make adjustments. You grow from that situation. The guys need to help each other on the field.”

Marshfield will look to do that better, while getting Parrish and Huntley into the flow and getting confidence before Churchill.

 “It’s a whole new season next week,” Wigle said.